Top election official has ‘high level of confidence’ in integrity of 2022 vote

• US Election Assistance Commission chairman Thomas Hicks says election workers are counting votes “fairly and accurately”.
• Voter intimidation has not been done at almost all polling stations across the country, he said.
• He said that whoever prevents anyone from voting is committing a crime and should be prosecuted.

in spite of the trouble Images The country’s top election administrator said on Tuesday that there were no reports of voter intimidation on election day.

US Election Aid Commission Chairman Thomas Hicks told Insider.

Hicks also issued warnings for anyone who tried to intimidate or harass a person exercising the right to vote.

Hicks said, “If someone is eligible to cast their vote, they should be able to do so and without impediment, and those who put those barriers there to harass or intimidate should be prosecuted. “

“If someone is trying to suppress votes or intimidate voters so they don’t cast their vote, it’s still illegal,” he said. “If someone feels threatened, they should report it to their local law enforcement, they should report it to their local election official and they should still cast their vote and not be intimidated by that fear.”

In West Bend, Wisconsin, that’s exactly what happened, like police arrested a person On demand from the election workers, a polling station was closed with a knife.

While voter intimidation may seem like a new phenomenon, it is not, noted Hicks, whose bipartisan agency serves as the federal government’s clearinghouse. Voting information, resources and fundingand works closely with local courts to help them conduct elections.

Hicks said, “The fact is, there have been people who have died for our right to vote, and there have been people who have tried to restrict that right for the last 200 years, whatever class you want out there.” want to do.”

Some good news: Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, legions of young Americans have volunteered to become election workers and help conduct elections — a patriotic act, he said.

“I see it as another way to serve my country,” Hicks said.

But the turnout in the United States is hardly accurate, he acknowledged.

Many challenges remain. He said the counting of votes is sometimes slow and people “need to be patient”. electoral interference There is a constant danger. Including former President Donald Trump. Has sustained for spreading lies about elections Past and current.

and, on a more pedestrian level, perhaps, Quality As the Brennan Center for Justice and Verified Voting, the number of voting equipment and systems across the country is hardly uniform. study indicated this year.

Hicks said a “dedicated funding stream” is necessary to ensure that voters everywhere can count on future elections being well run and efficient.

“They want to make sure they have the best possible tools to do their jobs,” he said of election administrators.